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14 December 2020 | Story Leonie Bolleurs
Dr FA Mare
Dr Frikkie Maré believes lucrative trade opportunities do exist for the South African red-meat industry that is thinking about exporting to international markets.

Dr Frikkie Maré, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS), says lucrative trade opportunities do exist for the South African red-meat industry that is thinking about exporting to international markets.

He, however, believes that there are some important aspects that red-meat producers should consider in order to fully benefit from these opportunities. There are also a number of requirements that producers must identify and then consistently meet in order not to incur considerable financial losses.

Dr Maré, who has in-depth knowledge of the red-meat value chain, delivered a presentation at the 2020 LRF Stockman School, speaking about international markets and international market requirements.

An exporter’s knowledge and understanding of the red-meat trade in terms of fresh and frozen products is important. Dr Maré says that although South Africa is a net importer of bovine meat, there is still opportunity to increase our export thereof, as our high-quality meat is in demand; we can make up the difference by importing meat of lower quality. “With the oversupply of bovine meat, it will also make sense to increase the export of bovine meat,” he says.

Making it profitable

Red-meat producers need to know why they want to export. Dr Maré says that export markets can offer price premiums compared to the less attractive prices received in a domestic market. “However, it is key for red-meat exporters in South Africa to differentiate between working to export to targeted premium-priced markets versus getting rid of excess production.”

“The national animal health status, due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, does however limit our access to premium-priced markets,” he adds.

It is also important for products to be competitive in terms of either price or quality, and Dr Maré believes that South Africa can be very competitive if one looks at our average red-meat prices compared to the premium-priced export markets, of which some borders are closed to red-meat exports from South Africa. “In countries where the borders are open to export from South Africa, there is an opportunity to sell our red meat at a premium if the quality is better than consumers in those countries are used to. Still, quality and availability must be consistent and reliable if we want to export to these countries,” says Dr Maré.

When considering export, the type of product required by an export market needs to be given thought. These markets are particular about whether the meat is from grain- or grass-fed animals, the fat content of the meat, whether it is safe to eat, whether it was produced conventionally, naturally, or organically, and whether the meat should arrive frozen or chilled.

The market and your product

Dr Maré states that South African exporters of red meat can learn a lot from the Australian red-meat industry in terms of using packaging to differentiate their products from others. “If South Africa starts doing the same with the packaging of its red-meat exports, these products will start to be perceived as special by consumers in export markets, who may then be prepared to pay more for them as a result,” he says.

For both beef and mutton, international consumers indicated the importance of packaging information featuring a picture of what type of animal the meat came from, including the price per kilogram, price per pack, whether or not the meat is naturally produced, whether or not it has a quality grading/product guarantee, and the colour of the meat.

“Constant market research ensures that Australia’s red-meat exports are exactly what consumers in these countries want and can afford. This research also keeps Australia’s red-meat industry informed of whether or not it is profitable for the industry to keep exporting to a particular country,” he says.

In terms of market research, data on aspects such as the population, household number by disposable income, meat consumption per capita, and the amount spend on groceries, is also valuable.

For example, it was found that in Japan, consumers buy according to their family’s preferences, what they find easy to prepare, what they believe are healthy for their children, and what they can use in a number of different meals.

Relationship with your buyer

“It is vital for exporters in the South African red-meat industry to gain the trust of trade partners in the export market, and to understand – and meet – the needs of consumers in that particular market,” says Dr Maré.

Additionally, Dr Maré is convinced that good relationships between the South African producers, government, and the governments of our red-meat export markets are crucial to sustain exports. “To assure these governments of the safety of our red-meat products, the South African government and red-meat sector must work together and improve on-farm and national biosecurity. Implementing an effective and efficient traceability system in our country’s national and international red-meat value chain is also needed,” he says.

Dr Maré says that whatever actions is taken by an exporter in the red-meat industry, it needs to be sustainable. “Should you fail, you will hurt the industry.”

News Archive

UFS Faculty of Theology and Jonathan Edwards Centre at Yale University forge strategic partnership
2009-06-10

 
Prof. Francois Tolmie, Dean of the UFS’s Faculty of Theology.
Photo: Supplied


The Faculty of Theology at the University of the Free State (UFS) will establish a Jonathan Edwards Centre for Southern Africa, affiliated with the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University in New Haven in the United States of America.

This strategic partnership exemplifies the vision of the Faculty of Theology to be an internationally renowned theological and training faculty.

The UFS Jonathan Edwards Centre will serve as a research, education and publication hub for the study of Edwards and evangelical history and develop links with the international academic community.

Prof. Francois Tolmie, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the UFS, said, “I welcome the plans to pay sustained critical attention to Edwards’s thought. Jonathan Edwards was an important American theologian, philosopher and more specifically America's greatest contributor to mission theology in Southern Africa.”

Dr Kenneth Minkema, Executive Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, adds: “The establishment of the Jonathan Edwards Center Southern Africa at the UFS in Bloemfontein is a significant expansion of Edwards scholarship and will serve widely both academia and the church.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), pastor, revivalist, Christian philosopher, missionary, and president of Princeton University, is widely regarded as North America’s greatest theologian. He is the subject of intense scholarly interest because of his significance as an historical figure and the profound legacy he left on America’s religious, political and intellectual landscapes.

In recent years, a rapidly growing interest in Edwards as theologian has brought the man and his writings onto the world stage, pressing beyond the popular and more parochial image of Edwards primarily as American preacher and American historic figure. Increasingly, his writings are being consulted by religious leaders, pastors, and churches around the world, spurred by a growing recognition of the fervency and universality of the Edwards message and the acumen with which he appraised religious experience.

This interest in Edwards globally has been fuelled in part by the work of the Jonathan Edwards Centre at Yale University, whose sole mission is to support inquiry into the life, writings, and legacy of Jonathan Edwards by providing resources that encourage critical appraisal of the historical importance and contemporary relevance of America’s premier theologian. The primary means to achieve this is with the The Works of Jonathan Edwards Online, a digital learning environment for research, education and publication that presents all of Edwards’s writings, along with helpful editorial materials that allow the reader to examine Edwards's thought in incredibly powerful, useful ways. The Works of Jonathan Edwards Online 2.0 is accessible through the Centre’s website at: www.edwards.yale.edu.

Media Release:
Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
10 June 2009

 

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